St. Joseph Medical Center Named Top Performer in National Quality Award

St. Joseph Medical Center Named Top Performer in National Quality Award

11-16-2010

Kansas City, Mo. – St. Joseph Medical Center has been named a top performer by the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Premier health care alliance
that rewards hospitals for delivering high quality care in five clinical
areas: acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, coronary artery
bypass graft (CABG), pneumonia and hip and knee replacement.

Based on the fifth-year results from the Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration
(HQID) project, St. Joseph received awards recognizing sustained levels
of performance or improvement in caring for patients with AMI (heart attack)
heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. It was also named a top performer
in hip and knee replacement. St. Mary’s Medical Center in Blue Springs,
Mo., the sister organization of St. Joseph, also earned the awards in
the same categories.

“It is exciting to see our associates’ and physicians’
hard work being recognized by these national organizations,” says
Scott Kashman, CEO, St. Joseph Medical Center. “These awards are
a reflection of the commitment to delivering the best care to our patients
every day.”

HQID is the first national project of its kind, designed to determine if
economic incentives to hospitals are effective at improving the quality
of inpatient care. Through the project, (which has been extended by CMS
for an additional three years) Premier collects a set of more than 30
evidence-based clinical quality measures from about 225 hospitals across
the country.

Improvements in quality of care saved an estimated 6,500 acute myocardial
infarction (AMI/heart attack) patients nationwide over five years, according
to a Premier analysis of mortality rates at participating hospitals.

St. Joseph Medical Center is an acute care facility of Carondelet Health
(CarondeletHealth.org) which also includes St. Mary’s Medical Center,
three long-term care facilities and home care services. Carondelet Health
is dedicated to the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Our commitment to
human dignity compels us to provide compassionate, quality healthcare
for body, mind and spirit, with a special concern for the poor. We are
responsible stewards serving the needs of all people from conception to
death. Carondelet Health is a member of Ascension Health, the nation’s
largest Catholic and nonprofit health system.